Junru Bian

Junru is a doctoral student at the School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa, under the supervision of Dr. Marie-Eve Desrosiers and Dr. Sarah-Myriam Martin-Brûlé.His research focuses on the identities, perceptions and practices of constituents within the humanitarian aid, peacekeeping and development sectors in crisis environments. As part of his research, he interviews different conflict interveners to understand their everyday experiences working in crisis environments. Through his research, he seeks to understand the relationship between institutional norms and everyday practices in conflict intervention. After living in Russia, Afghanistan and most of Central Asia, Junru moved to Canada for his Bachelor’s degree in International Studies at Bishop’s University. His undergraduate thesis focused on cash-based relief programming in post-emergency scenarios. Prior to completing his Master’s degree in Political Science at McGill University, he worked in humanitarian relief and development programs in Tajikistan, Mongolia, Myanmar and Ethiopia. He speaks Mandarin, English, French and Russian.

Expertise

• Humanitarian Aid
• Conflict Intervention
• Institutions and Norms

Selected Publications

• Bian, J. (2022). The racialization of expertise and professional non-equivalence in the humanitarian workplace. Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 7(1), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41018-021-00112-9
• Bian, J. (2023). Professionalized humanitarianism and the essentialization of victimhood. In H. Haaland, S. Kinsbergen, L. Schulpen, & H. Wallevik (Eds.), The rise of small-scale development organisations: The emergence, positioning and role of citizen aid actors (pp. 184-197). Routledge.
• Bian, J., Daigle, M., Martin, S., & Myrttinen, H. (2024). Gender, race, sexuality and PSEA. In J.-K. Westendorf & E. Dolan-Evans (Eds.), Sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and aid: Critiquing the past, plotting the future (pp. 156-168). Bristol University Press.
• Kinsbergen, S., Been, F., Bian, J., Molthof, M., Honings, C., & Koch, D.-J. (2025). Resources or race? Explaining (un)equality in international development partnerships. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d’études du développement, 46(1), 130-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2024.2436146
• Ward, P., & Bian, J. (2024). Class matters in humanitarianism. In S. Roth, B. Purkayastha, & T. Denskus (Eds.), Handbook on humanitarianism and inequality (pp. 251-264). Edward Elgar Publishing.